After missing just one game with a dented face, Russell Westbrook will likely return Wednesday against the 76ers. He went through most of practice today, but Scott Brooks wouldn’t commit entirely to Westbrook being in the lineup.

“He looked good today and it’s just how he feels tomorrow,” Brooks said. “I don’t want to jump the gun and say he’s going to for sure play, but he feels good today and we’ll see how he feel tomorrow.”

And yes: Westbrook will indeed wear a mask when he returns. But it won’t be as awesome as we might hope for.

“Fortunately for all of us, he does not get to choose his own color of the mask,” Brooks said. “It’s going to be a clear mask.” Keep Reading…

Darnell Mayberry on Enes Kanter: “A staggering 21 of Kanter’s 30 made field goals with the Thunder have come from less than five feet, proving he’s providing the low-post scoring that was promised. He’s converted nearly 62 percent of his attempts from that distance and complemented that proficiency with a soft touch from 15 to 19 feet, where he’s made a highly respectable six out of 10 shots.”

Kevin Ding of Bleacher Report on Durant and Westbrook: “If Ibaka didn’t tear his calf muscle before facing the eventual champion Spurs in the six-game Western Conference Finals, it’s fair to wonder whether we’d ever forget how tearfully impassioned Durant was in that speech when thanking Westbrook. If Ibaka was healthy, we might now view this Durant-Westbrook partnership in a whole new light. Here’s the truth, though: Even without a ring on it, it’s a remarkable team they’ve made together.” Keep Reading…

Anthony Slater: “The performance had plenty of Thunder fans clamoring for more Lamb. And at times, in certain matchups, that could be possible. Against teams without a perimeter scorer, he makes more sense than Andre Roberson. But one thing that must be remembered about Lamb’s breakout on Sunday — there was no one to expose him on the other end. Without the injured Kobe Bryant and Nick Young, the Lakers are void of much perimeter scoring talent. Against other teams in his career, Lamb has been consistently exposed as a defender. That’s the main reason Brooks rarely plays him. But Sunday had to feel good for Lamb. And even if his playing time remains sparse down the stretch, he remains the MVP of an increasingly entertaining Thunder bench squad. Lamb is always good for a wildly choreographed handshake or celebration.”

Berry Tramel: “Who knew that broken bones could be contagious? Remember when the Thunder’s biggest concern was brain sprain? Remember when you looked longingly toward spring, knowing the lads would be all healthy and rested? Well, not going to happen. Not this season. The Thunder will have to drag itself to success this postseason. The Grizzlies, who were afflicted by this curse a year ago, have rediscovered their health. They had 40 missed man games going into Sunday. The Thunder now has four times that many. The guys not wearing masks have donned cloths around their forehead. The Thunder hobbles through the layup line on a cane and a crutch. No. You’re right. It’s not funny. But if you don’t laugh, you’ll cry. The Thunder is better off laughing. Crying might sideline someone with eye inflammation.” Keep Reading…

I’m not going to go as far to say tonight’s win over the Lakers was impressive. Because context is necessary here. But I will say it was nice. And important.

The Lakers are terrible, no question. (They’ve been playing better lately, though, winning three straight). But in this situation throughout November, when the Thunder played without either Kevin Durant or Russell Westbrook, it looked a whole lot different than this. They won four times, beating all bad teams, but they were all mostly struggles, trying to find a way to survive 48 minutes with more points.

This was the Thunder looking to be the superior team throughout 48 minutes. D.J. Augustin did a masterful job of engineering offense throughout, Enes Kanter was dominant on the interior, Serge Ibaka was solid and… Jeremy Lamb was big. That’s right, our old friend Jeremy Lamb wandered his way away from the Gatorade jug to drop 14 points in 16 minutes on 5-8 shooting, including a couple big shots in the fourth quarter. Keep Reading…

Another injury do to friendly fire will cause Russell Westbrook to miss tonight’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers. Westbrook joins Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant on the sidelines as injuries have clouded a once star-filled night at Staples Center.

The Thunder look to avoid a winless west-coast trip and maintain its lead for 8th place in the West. OKC, at 32-27, holds a .5 game lead over New Orleans heading into Sunday’s games. Keep Reading…

Russell Westbrook underwent a successful procedure to address a fracture in the zygomatic arch bone of his right cheek Saturday, the team announced.

He has been ruled out for Sunday’s game at the Los Angeles Lakers and will be re-evaluated next week to determine when he can return to play.

Westbrook suffered the injury with 2.5 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter against the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday when teammate Andre Roberson inadvertently kneed him in the face, leaving a visible dent in the side of his face. Keep Reading…